NSFW. Not because of me, but because the Democrats have settled on a message, and it boils down to this: F—Trump.
That's it. That is their message in a nutshell, and it comes straight from the "mainstream" of the Democratic Party.
On the same day that Illinois lost the Chicago Bears, the Lieutenant Governor of the state releases the first ad of her Senate campaign where the message to the voters is just "fuck Trump" https://t.co/7P4rC8gRN1
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 19, 2026
Julinana Stratton is the current Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and the candidate of choice for the leftists in the Democratic establishment in the state. She is backed by the big unions, J.B. Pritzker, and a rogue's gallery of radical leftist groups who make up the #resistance.
She is, though, running in a tough primary against a somewhat less leftist candidate,
With the state’s primary less than a month away and Stratton trailing Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi in early polling, fundraising and airtime, the ad is an attention-grabbing gambit. Some Democratic strategists have pushed the party to curse more, as a way to convey more frank talk.
It's unclear how effective the ad will be in luring potential voters.
Stratton has the backing of billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker. But so far, she and another top candidate, Rep. Robin Kelly, have been unable to close the gap with Krishnamoorthi. Early voting is already underway for the March 17 primary.
The Republican National Committee had its own harsh words in response to the "F--- Trump" posture.
Juliana Stratton is a defund-the-police radical who would rather let criminals run rampant than make Chicago safer,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar said in a statement, charging that Stratton “ignores crime.”
The ad comes as Democrats nationally have discussed how much to focus their messaging on Trump specifically while on the campaign trail. In the contest, which seeks to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, candidates are taking the route of invoking Trump.
Her main pitch comes down to this: F**k Trump. That's about it. Because this is a Democratic primary, it is the most reliable message that will motivate the base of the Democratic Party.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is no conservative Democrat; he voted with Joe Biden 100% of the time, but he doesn't exactly ignite the passions of the Democratic base and is perceived as more friendly to law enforcement and business than the radical Stratton. He is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, which is trying to move away from progressives on business issues and become more mainstream. It's no surprise that the Teachers Union and SEIU prefer her to him.
There is a third candidate in the race, Rep. Robin Kelly.
Krishnamoorthi has amassed an enormous campaign war chest, spending $23.5 million on ads through mid-February, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. By comparison, Kelly spent $212,000 and Stratton spent $69,000 in that same time frame.
Pritzker, who endorsed Stratton for Senate and helped fund the PAC that bolstered her campaign, has a cameo at the end of the Stratton ad but refrains from cursing. This is the first ad the Stratton campaign has itself funded, while a super PAC backing her has previously aired commercials. Pritzker gave $5 million to that super PAC, and his cousin Jennifer Pritzker and her spouse gave another $1.1 million.
More TV spending is on the way, with early bookings from Friday through March 2 from the pro-Stratton Illinois Future PAC at $1.9 million, Krishnamoorthi at about $955,000, Kelly at $355,000 and Stratton's campaign at $211,000.
Illinois is hardly as radical left as its political representatives, although it is a pretty reliable state for the Democrats. It may be that Chicago is filled with crazy people, but the same cannot be said for many other parts of the state.
But this is the primary, and primaries are won by getting out the hardcore voters in your base. While the smart money may be betting on Krishnamoorthi, I wouldn't bet he is a shoo-in. It's not the majority opinion that wins, but the majority of people who go to the polls, and of course, who controls the voting process.
Not that I would accuse Chicago pols of cheating. That would never happen.
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